Lately I’ve been asked to help people choose what laptop is best for them. The first question I have asked is “What do you want the laptop for?” I ask that question because now with so many resources and applications available on the web, there is a new style of laptop that can be considered, the Google Chromebook.
What is a chromebook, you ask? A Chromebook is a personal computer running Google Chrome OS as its operating system. The devices are designed to be used while connected to the Internet and support applications that reside on the Web, rather than traditional PC applications that reside on the machine itself.
By using only apps that are on the web, a chromebook is able to have fewer resources in the device itself, which reduces the cost, and also the weight of the laptop. The Chromebook also has the advantage of having all of your data in the cloud, which means that no matter where you go, or what machine you are using, all of your data is synced. Documents and spreadsheets are saved in the Google drive application; mail is in Gmail etc…
If all you use your computer for is internet applications; Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, web searching, Pandora, YouTube, Hulu, etc…. Then a chromebook is a viable option for you, and will last longer than a traditional laptop, because it has a simplified ‘operating system’, which is just a web browser, which will not need better hardware each time an update comes out. ChromeOS updates itself automatically, and just like the web browser, does not use a lot of system resources, thus will be compatible on the hardware it ships with for a long time.
If it turns out that you need to have applications installed on your laptop, or need some function of a traditional laptop, above and beyond using the internet only, then a Chromebook is not a solution for you, and you should look for a good laptop in your price range. Frog Tech will be more than happy to assist you in determining your needs for a laptop, just drop us an email at.